With an unexpected goodbye, Pope Benedict XVI announced his decision to step down from his position as leader of the Catholic Church on February 11, 2013. The announcement left Catholics around the world in shock since there have been only five officially documented resignations of popes throughout the history of the church.
“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the [papacy],” Benedict XVI said according to a statement released by the Vatican, the administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope officially left the office on February 23, 2013, becoming the first pope to step down from his position in 600 years.
The resignation of a pope is an uncommon because of the fact that the reign of a pope has conventionally been from election to death, since it is thought that a pope will leave the position only when called by the Father above. According to Npr.org, a thriving award-winning news and media organization, the first pope ever to resign is thought to be Pope Pontian in the year 235 AD. “Now you have to remember that we’re not entirely sure because those first couples of centuries are pretty murky. Christianity is an illegal religion in the Roman Empire, and so we don’t always have all of the sources that we’d like. But we’re pretty sure that Pontian was the first one,” said Kean University professor Christopher Bellitto. Pope Pontian knew he was going to be deported to a prison on the island of Sardinia, which was known to be so brutal that there was no chance of coming back, so he resigned.
The first unquestionable resignation was by Pope Benedict IX in 1045 AD. According to Princeton.edu, Pope Benedict was a pope on three occasions between 1032 AD and 1045 AD. He was elected, ejected, resigned, returned, later ejected again and eventually excommunicated or officially excluded from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church. Even if he was kicked out eventually, Pope Benedict IX’s resignation is still considered valid.
According to Christianity.com, Pope Celestine V was next to step down, on December 13 1294. Pope Celestine tried to rule while under the control of King Charles II of Sicily, but found it impossible because of the political and the religious authority Kings Charles II held. He left the papal office, helping establish a church law allowing popes to freely resign.
The most recent resignation came from Gregory XII who was elected during the Great Western Schism from 1378 AD to 1417, making him one of three popes at the time. “In fact” Kean University professor, Bellitto claims, “he probably had the best claim to be the legitimate pope, but he decides to metaphorically fall on his sword.”
To elect a new pope, 115 Cardinals, inside the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, will cast a vote. Voting continues up to four times a day, until one of the candidates has received 77 votes. Afterwards the chosen candidate is asked if he accepts the position and the moment he consents, he is is the pope. Later he chooses his name and is revealed to the world.